Whispers in the Wind
by Clouded Eye
Summary: There's more to Elara Everleigh's story! Read this if you liked And To Fall Again. beetle and jenna in there too
1. An Arrangement

**Hey! Well, this is my new fanfic and i'm going to try and find a suitable title later. This is going to take place 2 months after Insanity monster is gone, yada yada yada. Hope you enjoy!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was staring at my ceiling, where Septimus had recently decorated with stars out of courtesy to me. After I was freed from the heart of the Insanity monster, I had insomnia. Pulling all-nighters was now normal to me, and I didn't mind. Marcia had allowed me to continue my studies at night, because I had practically become nocturnal. If I ever became ExtraOrdinary Wizard, perhaps the first thing on my priority list will be to change my sleeping patterns. Until then, well, I guess I would just have to live with this. I walked up to the window and leaned on the windowsill. I looked back at the stars on my ceiling and then at the moon in the sky. I opened the window and sat on the sill. _What would it be like_ , I thought, _if I were a bird_? Adrenaline flooded to my head as I fell down. My stomach lurched and my heart was pumping. I stretched out my arms and flew all the way up to the top of the Wizard Tower. I sat on the square that made the top of the Pyramid and stared at the moon again. It was a waxing crescent, and how beautiful it was! The craters did not make a face. They made an eye. Just like the one that Hotep-Ra made in the hieroglyphs in the Pyramid. I often wondered where my parents were and why they had no ghost. Surely their business was not done with the world? It was on one of these nights I wondered where they might be. Who they might be.

The night before was one of the rare nights where I got some sleep. I was not very tired that morning, which was also a first. Even without my insomnia, I was always tired. Knowing that doing my work was fully optional but recommended, I decided to take a stroll in the Forest. The **Darke** and the Forest creatures were afraid of me now, because of what I did when I had been overtaken by Insanity. Now they kept clear from me, and at times made way for me. Anyway, that autumn morning in the Forest was peaceful. The leaves crunched under the demand of my feet and shimmered in the glittering sun, leaving dancing orange lights on the ground. I breathed in the crisp air. Fallen twigs littered the floor of the Forest and broken branches were scattered everywhere. Autumn was my favorite season, no doubt, because everything is so beautiful, and yet it is all dying. I shuddered and decided to go back. The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of what I had become. I wanted to steer clear from the people of the Castle. It took a long time to rebuild the destruction I had caused, and some buildings were still being rebuilt. The trust in me was still being rebuilt too. I shook my head as if to shake the shame away. The breeze sent a chill through my bones. Pulling my cloak around me, I walked back to the Wizard Tower. The silver walls glimmered under the sun's glare. I wondered if this was how Simon felt when he walked up to the Wizard Tower to find it under **Siege**. He was unsought, just as I was right then. I walked in and breathed in the incense that I nearly destroyed two months earlier. A miracle it was still here. Sitting on the spiral stairs, I let them take me up to Marcia's rooms. I made my way to my own room and stared at my ceiling. The stars weren't shining like they did last night and I wasn't going to make it night so they would. Tampering with the forces of the world was something I had done enough of, playing with life and death. It was not fully my fault, but I still messed it up. In courtesy to Beetle, I had bought his favorite book, _Ever Last_. I sat on my bed and opened the book. It was about a peasant child who could not choose between her staged role, a villain, or uncovering the truth about the true villain whose staged role was the hero. It was a very big book, and no one knew who wrote it. I lay down on my bed and held the book tight. How could I earn the people's trust again? I knew Jenna had these answers. She knew more than anyone now.

"Jen, I'm unwanted," I said. She was surprised. "What do you mean? Of course we want you! Septimus definitely does." She chuckled. "Don't say that, Elara, please. If you weren't wanted we wouldn't have come to save you from… yourself."

"But everyone else. I don't have their trust. They give me looks, like I'm still the freak I once was." Jenna glared at me. I knew this was a bad sign. "Listen up. You were NEVER a freak and we all love you. Got that?! Stop downgrading yourself this instant. If you keep this up, no one will ever trust you, not even yourself. I know that this whole Insanity thing caused a lot of destruction, but you keep destroying yourself. What if it comes back? We love you, keep that in mind!" I sort of half-smiled. "Um, okay then. And how would I get their trust?" She shrugged. "Get out more." Right at that moment, I knew she was crazy. _She is_. What?! _That's right. The Queen is crazy_. No, she's not! _Oh, yes she is_. Who are you? _Oh, I don't know_. I waved goodbye to Jenna and as soon as I stepped out of the Palace, I ran back to the Wizard Tower. _No one will believe you if you tell them_. Yes, they will! _No, they won't. I'll make sure of that_. Who are you and what do you want? _I think you know_. And what is that supposed to mean? _You'll see._ I found Marcia sitting at her desk. "Marcia! I-it, I heard…" I panted. "Calm down, Elara. What is it?" she asked. I gathered myself and spoke. "I was talking to Jenna about everyone in the Castle, blah blah blah, and she told me to get out more if I wanted to earn their trust. So I was thinking that was crazy and I heard a voice saying that Jenna was crazy and it was not me." Marcia's eyes widened. "It's time you got to see the Vaults, Elara." She led me to the Manuscriptorium. I followed the tapping of her shoes and meeting the bewildered glances of the scribes. At least they knew me for who I was. Marcia strode into the Vaults, ignoring Old Goat Face. She locked the door to the Vaults and put an **Alarm** on it. "He won't be able to listen in. Now, Elara, ever since you discovered you had Insanity, you had one blue eye and one green eye with a greyish film over it, right?" I nodded. "Your green eye shows you have **Magyk** , but they grey film shows you still have some **Darke** inside you, left over from _that_. Your blue eye represents your power, such as your connections to all the dignitaries and all that. But that is also a pathway." _Don't believe her._ "The voice told me not to believe you," I said, shaking. "You can tell it to buzz off. Anyway, your blue eye is a pathway to all kinds of **Things**. The more you have, the more black you're green eye turns. And what happens next? You're just another **Darke** Wizard. Thank you for telling me about the voice. We might just get rid of the **Thing**." _She's lying! I am your conscience. I can help you. I am your friend. We are friends. I'm not a_ _ **Thing**_ _. I am YOU. Don't get rid of me._ "Marcia?"

"Yes?"

"I'll help you."

 _No!_

Yes.

 _I can help you! The people will trust you!_

What?

 _Yes! They will trust you! Do not get rid of me!_

Hmm.

 _Yes! Consider it!_

No.

 _Why?_

Because you are not me.

 _But I can help you!_

Really?

 _Yes!_

Deal.


	2. The Stranger

**(sorry if I'm being repetitive or a tad bit confusing in this chapter)**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked down Wizard Way and looked at all the little shops. I decided not to tell Septimus about my "evil eye", because I knew he would make a big fuss over me. He really started going crazy after I came back to life. Like he was always running out of time. I sighed and **Transported** to my room. No use of walking through the crowd. I sighed. Insanity really had ruined my life. I glanced at my bed and something caught my eye. A baby. A BABY. With one blue eye and one clouded green eye. She had my straight hair and _straw-colored hair_. I rushed to Septimus's room, furious, with the child in my arms. "Septimus! What. Is. THIS?!" I yelled, stretching out the child. He turned red. "Septimus! What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Then how do you explain her?"

"I-I don't know! I swear! Where did you find her?"

"In my room! Now what in the world is happening? I _know_ I did not do anything. And since she was _your_ straw-colored hair, I _know_ you did something." I started panicking. I did not have a child, I did not have a child, I thought. "It might have been one of my brothers," Septimus murmured. I wheeled around and glared at him. "Sure, sure, one of your brothers! Of course! They are completely allowed to sneak in here at night and go through each of our rooms, are they not? I'm going to Marcia." I stormed out with the child. I did love her, and she had the most innocent look to her. But when I looked closer, I saw pain. I couldn't think. There was no way I could be her mother. I had already gone to Marcia to tell her about the voice and I wasn't planning to tell her about the child. I had used that as an empty threat. I knew I either had to tell Rose or Jenna. I didn't want to risk being seen outside with the child, who I decided to name Xenia. Rose it is. I burst into the **Charm** Chamber. To my relief, Rose was there. "Rose! I need to tell you about… her," I said. She had a look of astonishment on her face and her mouth gaped open as I showed her Xenia. "Where did she come from?" Rose asked, who was looking very anxious. "I don't know. I suspected Septimus and I'm freaking out! I can't be her mother! I can't!"

"See Syrah. I bet she knows more about this stuff than I do."

"But, what should I do with her if Syrah doesn't know?"

"I don't want this to be an option, but you know that orphanage that Jenna recently opened up?"

"No."

"If you don't want that, you have to take care of her. You're either her mother or not. Besides, you're seventeen. We can do this." I nodded and headed for the Ramblings. I did a quick **UnSeen** on Xenia and myself and walked out. I **Appeared** outside Syrah's door and knocked. "Elara! A nice surprise! What do you need?" I showed her Xenia. "Ah. And what of Septimus?" she asked, half-smiling. I shook my head. "I suspect him. But can you tell me where she came from?"

"She came from you," Syrah whispered hesitantly. Noticing my horrified expression, however, she said, "Not you, you. She is another form of you. When your friends freed you, or whatever, this child was, er, existing. And she was, erm, born today." I breathed a sigh of relief. So Septimus really didn't do anything. "But, I am still her mother?" She nodded. "But you don't have to do what mothers do! As long as you live, she will grow, so, yeah!" _Throw her away. She will only be a distraction_. No. I'm her mother. _But she is just another form of Insanity. You will become a monster again_. Shut up!

I waved goodbye to Syrah and carried Xenia back to the Wizard Tower. There was _no way_ I would let anyone know about her. What if someone tried to take her away? Besides, she was technically a Princess because I was related to a Queen. I could see a tinge of purple in her blue eye. I hid her in my cloak and hid my face. I mothered a Princess, birthed when my friends resurrected me. Xenia, my child. _Throw her away! Put her up adoption! She is another obstacle in your life!_ How about you shut up and mind your own business? _I'm helping you. I believe you said, "Deal."_ I take it back. _You can't!_ Yes, I can. And I just did.

I carried Xenia slowly up the spiral stairs, because I didn't want her to get sick on her first day in the world. After what seemed like an impossibly long time, I finally reached the twenty-first floor. I grabbed a few mangoes, peeled them, removed the stone and mashed them. I added a little water and gave it to Xenia. I couldn't keep her hungry. Unsure, I took a spoon and fed her in my room. "I can't believe I'm doing this," I thought aloud. Xenia was obedient and she ate it. I smiled and shook my head at the same time. A wave of happiness and embarrassment filled my heart and I didn't know what exactly to feel. I did not want to think Septimus was her father, because he was definitely not. When I brought Xenia to the light, her hair was a shade of brown, but in the dark, it was not. I had made a mistake and with this I threw the curtains covering my window to the side. Now I would never feel uncomfortable. I walked into Septimus's room, where he sat hunched over his desk. "What did Marcia say?" he asked shakily, not taking his eyes off whatever it was he was working on. "I didn't go to her. And you're not her father." Septimus looked up, amused. "I'm not Marcia's father?" he chuckled. I bit my lip. "No! You're not the baby's father!"

"Suddenly Marcia's a baby?" I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "You're impossible." He shrugged. "You're really lucky, you know. I'm here, working on my research paper on removing ghosts from their Resting Places, cough cough you know why cough cough. And then you're here already knowing how to do it." I shrugged this time. "Oh, and if you're wondering," I started as I was walking out the door. I lowered my voice to a hushed whisper. "You have to describe a beautiful place to the ghost and convince the ghost it existed. When they are completely lost and daydreaming, throw a **StunFlash** at them and they will be removed." I winked. "I won't help you again." He stuck out his tongue at me as I walked out. _You know, at the bottom of his paper, right now, he is writing a small note that says, "Elara helped me."_ Really? _Yeah! Can you believe it?_ I can't believe you because you're lying. _No I'm not. I vowed to help you, did I not?_ You did… _So?_ I still don't believe you.

It was like Xenia disappeared. I couldn't find her, but I found a strange black kitten with different color eyes. I groaned. Xenia was a **ShapeShifter**. Life became so much harder. Soon she wouldn't be able to control herself. Irritated, I waved my hand and Xenia became human again. I sat down on my bed and rocked her to sleep. I laid her down when I was absolutely sure her eyes were closed. I took a box and put a thick sheet of memory foam inside it. It fit perfectly and I breathed a sigh of relief. I put a small pillow in it. And, just to make sure I didn't step in it, I took four wooden poles that were under my bed for some reason and glued it to the bottom of the box. I also put four boxes under the poles so they didn't fall. I cut out rectangles in the box where I put the foam. And a little touch so it didn't look very ugly, I snapped my fingers and it turned red and silver. I also made it so it didn't look like there were any boxes at all. Xenia was sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to pick her up, but I knew I couldn't keep her on my bed. Carefully, so as to not wake her up, I placed her in the makeshift crib. I looked out onto the horizon. It was already sunset, and the sun was a brilliant orange. It was October 1rst. I said it over and over again in my head. A nice birthday.


	3. A New Personage

**(sorry if I published this chapter late)**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat up in bed suddenly. "Oh no," I whispered. Xenia was shrieking and crying. Panicking, I picked her up and rocked her. "By the star of Alnitak, please stop crying!" I whispered, trying to shush her. All I received were screams. I knew Marcia was going to wake up any second. _I tried telling you she was going to be a problem_. Whatever. I checked my timepiece. It was 2:17 AM. Marcia would not take this well. I **Transported** us to the Wizard Tower courtyard and cursed for being stupid. Sound travelled very strangely here. In a fit of stress, I **Transported** to the Palace landing stage, where I knew that no one was there. I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to calm down Xenia. She was still sleeping. I swore. What was she dreaming of? I could only imagine the worst. I tried shaking her awake and gently tapping her forehead. Finally, I reached down to the river below and splashed water on her. She woke up crying, but she didn't seem as frightened as before. I muttered an apology because I knew the water was ice cold. I was scared to put Xenia back to bed, in fear she would have the same nightmare. What was it even? I stared at the mystery lying in my arms. The crying, tear-streaked mystery. I found I suddenly knew what her nightmare was. After a while of rocking and whispers, Xenia calmed down a bit but did not sleep. I **Transported** back to the Wizard Tower, trying to keep everything as silent as possible. The door to my bedroom creaked as I opened it and I cringed, and rather noisily closed it again. I leaned against the door and dropped down to the floor. "You're a really naughty baby, you know that right?" I muttered. I received a giggle in response. I shook my head and laid her down in the crib. To pass the time, I took square sheets of cloth and started sewing them together. Half an hour later I laid the quilt on Xenia. It suddenly came to me that this might happen every night. I groaned and stared at the stars on my ceiling. That's what I did for the rest of the night.

I woke up and went down to the kitchen. I decided I would do some work today, to pass some time. No one was at the table so I made breakfast for Marcia and Septimus. I sat on one of the chairs, waiting for them to come. Half an hour later, Marcia came. She had bags under her eyes and was barely opening them. I jumped to my feet. "Marcia, are you okay?" I asked, suddenly worried what Xenia might have actually done the previous night. "Yes, I am fine, thank you for asking, Elara," she said. "Just had a bad night's sleep is all." I kind of half smiled. "Um, I made breakfast."

"Thank you. That's really all I needed today. What is it?"

"French toast. That _is_ your favorite, right?"

"Yes, it is."

I waved my hand and the toast flew over to the table. "Would you like some coffee?" I asked as I watched Marcia literally wolf down three slices of toast. "How could you tell?" she asked with her mouth full. I chuckled and asked the coffeepot _nicely_ to make some coffee. It obliged. I heard Marcia swallow and turned my focus from the coffeepot to her. "I really must take note to be nicer to that pot." She chuckled, spitting out crumbs of toast. "Oh, I'm sorry Elara, I'm really not myself today." She took out a **FizzBom** from her pocket and popped it into her mouth. I looked at her, amused. "I thought you disapproved of those!" I laughed. "Shh, shh, don't be so loud! I just don't want Septimus to be high on sugar. I personally love them." My mouth gaped open. I closed it and it broke into a smile. I could only imagine what other secrets Marcia might have. Things suddenly became a lot more fun. I waved my hand and the coffeepot flew over. I poured some into Marcia's mug and a bit into mine too. Marcia sipped and suddenly looked more alive. "Could you do me a favor, Elara? Could you wake up Septimus?" I nodded. I went into Septimus's room and looked around. It was a _mess_. Papers were strewn all over the floor. The bed sheets were all crumpled and misshapen. I found the small trash bin on its side and its contents spilled. Finally I found Septimus lying on the floor with a pillow over his head and swaddled in his blanket. I took a moment to recollect myself and set off tidying up the place. To be honest, I didn't really need to do anything. I kept snapping my fingers and everything fell into place. Except for Septimus. What I did next might have been mean but it was of no concern to me. For some random reason, Septimus had balloons in his drawer. I blew one up and tied it. Then, next to his ear - I laughed to myself at this point - I took a pin and popped it. He jumped up and screamed. He ran to a corner of his room and there he stayed, shuddering. He saw me laughing and scowled.

"What the heck?! Couldn't you have just shook me awake?" I wiped a tear from my eye. This was priceless. "No," was my response as I collapsed, laughing. I couldn't breathe. Finally, after a couple of minutes, my laughing subsided and I took a lungful of air. "Anyway, you're going to have to come down for breakfast or else Marcia's going to eat all the toast."

"There's toast?"

"There won't be for long."

Septimus quickly put his robes on and raced to the kitchen. I followed him. I didn't actually get to eat yet. When we got around to the table, Marcia was strangely happy. I raised my eyebrow. "I know," she said, and retreated to her desk. What was that supposed to mean? Does she know that it's strange to see her happy? Or does she know about… Xenia? I ate and once Septimus left I made some food for Xenia. I raced to my room and groaned. She wasn't there. I sat on my bed and waited a while and then I saw a small bird perched on the windowsill. I snapped my fingers and caught her. I fed her and realized I would have to do a lot to keep her under control. I laid her down in her crib and got some sort of toy for her to play with. Then I went to Marcia. "Is there anything I can do, Marcia?" I asked. "Oh! Thank you for asking! Could you clean out the Pyramid Library for me, please?" I nodded and walked towards the Pyramid Library but stopped and turned around. The real reason I was there was to ask her something. "Marcia, by any chance, did you hear any shrieking last night?" She sighed, looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "I know about her, Elara. You should have told me. Bring her over, by the way. I want to see our new Princess." I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't in any trouble. I brought over Xenia, who had refused to be separated from her toy. She brought it along with her. "She's a nice child," Marcia was saying as she held Xenia. "But, there's something you need to know. Elara, this child is the new Princess. And you are her mother. You know what that means."

"But Jenna's the Queen. I can't be."

"Traditionally, when she steps down you're going to be Queen, but seeing as you both are the same age, you have to rule side by side. And that is a must. You will also need someone to rule when you are performing your duties as ExtraOrdinary Wizard."

"I don't understand. There will be _two_ ExtraOrdinary Wizards and _two_ Queens?"

"It all plays out perfectly. You see, when you and Jenna are doing your duties as Queen, Septimus will be EOW. When Jenna cannot rule, you will. When you cannot rule, Jenna will. Since you will be EOW and Queen, you handle Palace work with **Magyk** and Septimus will handle conflicts in the Castle. When Septimus is unavailable, you will be EOW. You will have double the responsibilities, yes, seeing as you are the mother of a **ShapeShifter** and a Princess, but it will have to do. With this, the roles of the dignitaries will be much easier and balanced." I nodded. As I walked out with Xenia in my arms, she said, "Oh! And when you're done can you go over to the Palace? Jenna needs to know all this." I nodded again and went to sort all the **Charms** and books in the Pyramid Library that Septimus had not thought to put back on the shelves.


	4. Silver Walls

**i was trying to focus on family issues in this chapter. also sorry if i got the relations wrong, i was trying to make sense what Jenna's and Elara's relation might be. anyway, please review!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cleaning the Library took a long time. Almost as long as when Rose and I were filling out paperwork two months earlier. I sighed. Sometimes it felt like Septimus was just trying to annoy me. I couldn't blame him though, after what I did with him that morning. I laughed to myself. That _was_ good. It was 7:00 PM and I needed to go to the Palace, at least before ten. It was a chilly autumn evening and I wrapped Xenia in the blanket I had made the night before. After a long while of travelling outrageously slowly on the stairs, I finally stepped off and ran out of the Wizard Tower. I reached the Palace in fifteen minutes. The stairs took a blasted half hour. I sighed and walked inside. Everyone in the Palace trusted me, although not willingly at first. Jenna had in fact demanded they respect me, but as the days and weeks passed, they came to understand I meant no harm and my monster was a thing of the past. I was able to walk in and out freely whenever I wanted. I found Jenna in the sitting room, staring into the fire. At the sight of me she jumped up and smiled. "Elara! It's been so lonely here. I haven't had any work in a while and no one has come to visit." I wasn't entirely sure what to feel. But then I remembered what I actually had to say. I took Xenia out from under my cloak. Jenna had a mixture of anger and astonishment on her face. "What did Septimus do?! Did you and Sep…" she looked at me. I understood what she thought. "I thought the same thing when I found her but no, that's definitely not what happened. Her hair is actually brown." Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. "But there is something I have to tell you. Remember when Marcellus said my great great and then some grandmother was the sister of the Queen?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so both of their children were cousins and then their children were cousins and blah blah blah."

"Okay?"

"We're cousins."

"So?"

"You haven't had any children yet."

"I'm seventeen! Of course I haven't had any children yet!"

"And this is where Xenia comes in. Apparently she is another form of my insanity. She was created when you killed it and was born two days ago. I am her mother and she is my child."

"Okay, so?"

"She is the Princess."

"But I'm the Queen."

"I talked to Marcia about it. We have to rule together. One, you'll have company. Two, your work will be easier. Three, when you can't rule, I will, and vice versa. Since I will be EOW and Queen, I have to fix some Palace problems with **Magyk** and Septimus will fix Castle stuff. When Sep can't be EOW, I will be. Apparently, 'everything will be balanced'. So there will be two Queens and two ExtraOrdinary Wizards. If you never have children, Xenia will be the next Queen. If you do, she will rule and then Xenia will. Then Xenia and your child will have children and so on and so on." Jenna stared at me, Xenia, then back at me. She grinned. "This is going to be so exciting! We'll get to work together, and we're related! How cool is that?" _Say thank you. You thought it would turn out much worse._ Okay. "I'm glad you think so, because I can't be the mother of a **ShapeShifter** , ExtraOrdinary Wizard, and Queen alone. I'm glad you took it so well because now we can help each other." She smiled and nodded. Then she looked at the clock. "We have some time. Do you want to sit down for a while? I guess I need to know my niece." Jenna brought in some biscuits and tea from the kitchen and played with Xenia. Xenia enjoyed her aunt and laughed with Jenna. We ate and drank and had fun. At about 8:20, Jenna looked up and said, "Well, I suppose you aren't going to have a seventh child, are you?" I raised my eyebrows. "She has all the power and **Magyk** a seventh child would have. And if she does have seven children, the rumor that people of royal blood are not **Magykal** will by then be a false statement. But if she doesn't, the royal family will grow from her. And with every generation that passes, they lose one of their abilities. By the thousandth generation or so, the royal family will go back to being **UnMagykal**. Unless, of course, Xenia dies before she has any children. Then things will stay the same and your grandchild will take the throne."

"Ah. So it all depends who has children first."

"Exactly."

"That is really confusing. Did Marcia tell you all this?"

"No, I just figured this is how it would be. It makes sense, though. I just want to focus on the present for now instead of our descendants and what they're going to do when they're older. Besides, I'm going to need help with this little one. Soon, she won't be able to control her **ShapeShifting** abilities." Jenna smiled. "Grandpa Benji can help with that. And I suppose he's your grandfather too." I nodded and checked my timepiece. It was 8:30. "Sorry, Jen. I have to go. If I hurry, maybe I can get back to the Wizard Tower by 9:00. Bye!" I waved to her as I rushed out into the night. It was colder than I remembered, and I held Xenia close. _Talk to Septimus later. He needs to know about these new arrangements_. Will do. I muttered the password and the great silver doors swung open. The floor read, "Hello, ExtraOrdinary Apprentice. Welcome, little Princess." I smiled. The floor always knew everything. I carried Xenia a little faster up the stairs, but only a little. I found Marcia sitting on her sofa patiently when I finally came up. This was so unlike her, it scared me. "What did Jenna say?" she asked. I was shocked but I was determined not to show it. Marcia saw it, however, despite my efforts otherwise. "I know you're used to me being cranky and strict, but I know how the people of the Castle treat you. I love you as a teacher loves a student, and I want you to feel better in the Wizard Tower." A mixture of emotions bubbled inside me. I smiled and told her, "Jenna took it really well. She said things were going to be way easier and she would have some company."

"That's good. Where's the Princess?" I gave Xenia to Marcia. "She has to stay in the Palace but she also has to stay with her mother. But you have to stay here."

"Could we b-" Marcia cut me off. "We can't build another Wizard Tower. That would take many years. Even if we brought Hotep-Ra to help us, he would die before the construction. And it would never be the same as this one."

"But you're forgetting something."

"What might that be?"

I put the backs of my hands on my knees and looked at her. I think she understood. "What amount of energy would it take for you to do that?"

" _As much as it takes_." Marcia nodded. We both went to our rooms. It was later, after watching Xenia fall asleep, the last thing I said was not me. I had not actually said that. But I heard it. It had my voice. Marcia had also thought it was me. _I did what I had to. And it will take as much as it does._

Does it matter? Who are you to take control of my voice?

 _Marcia does not think bad of you. Relax._

You've lied to me before.

 _I am not now. You also don't know how much energy it will take to recreate the Wizard Tower._

That's true.

 _I helped you in the Palace. You did think that it would turn out a lot worse than how Jenna initially reacted. Don't you trust me?_

Now that you mention all this, I do.

 _And I promised you would be trusted._

You did.

 _Will you listen to me?_

Okay.


	5. The Times

**sorry for publishing this chapter so late, had to go to michigan for the weekend. also this is very repetitive and i used as a filler, dont be surprised if this is a bum. And for those who are wondering, septimus did a** _ **gesture**_ **at Elara, yeah, you know what the gesture was. anyway, please review!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 _Hello hello?_

Yeah. Hi.

 _What are you doing?_

Wouldn't you know?

 _I do. Septimus doesn't want there to be two ExtraOrdinary Wizards._

Really? You're not lying?

 _No, I'm not. Tell him how it will be harder for you than it will be for him._

I did. He's mad. He said that I think about myself too much.

 _Tell him that it will be easier for him._

He said that he was Marcia's Apprentice first and there shouldn't be two ExtraOrdinaries. He also said Jenna has to work alone.

 _Tell him Jenna needs your help. She is young and her mother wasn't there for her to teach her how to be Queen._

He told me that Cerys could tell Jenna whatever whenever. He also said that no one taught me how to be a Queen either.

 _Tell him that you and Jenna can learn from each other._

He said that we're both young.

 _Remind him that you're seven months older than him._

He said we're the same age because of his Time with Marcellus.

 _Remind him that was six months and even if it was true that being with Marcellus made him older, he would still be a month younger._

He said that Jenna still needs to learn by herself or she'll become dependent on others.

 _Jenna and Beetle need time together. Like this, they can._

He's still mad. He said that Jenna and I don't know what we're doing. He's going to Marcia right now to talk her out of this arrangement.

 _You know he's jealous that he won't be the only_ _ **Magykal**_ _dignitary?_

Yes.

 _Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind mistakes one for the other, or assumes the greater the love, the greater the jealousy, as a great man once said. He thinks that you are better than him, but you need to remind him that even though you will be Queen and ExtraOrdinary Wizard, you can never be better than him no matter your abilities and strengths._

He stopped. He's turning around…

 _Damn! I didn't know he was actually capable of that, bloody hell!_

I know. I'm shaking.

 _Don't talk to him. Talk to Marcia later but don't tell her a lot about anything. That way she'll do a_ _ **MindScreen**_ _and you're going to have to make sure that you're thinking about how Septimus did that._

Alright.

* * *

 _Are you thinking about what he did?_

Mmhmm.

 _She's doing the_ _ **MindScreen**_ _. Don't think about me._

Okay.

…

She stopped. She's upset. Said that Septimus came to her earlier in the day for the same reason. But if what I was thinking was actually true, what Septimus said was a lie.

 _Hmm._

Yeah. She said that I should go.

 _Good._

What?

 _She won't be able to know that we're talking…_

* * *

 _Why is she crying again?_

She's a child. Deal with it like I am.

 _Tell her a bedtime story._

I am NOT going to be the English mother. No. No _way_.

 _And what if she calms down by it?_

…

 _Sing her a lullaby._

No.

 _And why not?_

Would you?

…

Exactly.

 _What do you propose?_

…

 _Well?_

What's a good story?

 _That's right. I don't really know, tell a story about your friends or something._

Like what?

 _Umm, when Jenna was being chased by the Hunter and they erased his memory._

Okay.

…

She stopped.

 _What did I tell you?_

* * *

Sep is mad I told Marcia about what happened.

 _Get Beetle._

Why?

 _He's his best friend. He'll know what to do with him._

Sep is breaking stuff. He's ripping his homework.

 _Damn. Why is he so mad these days?_

I have no idea.

 _Put him to sleep._

What are you suggesting?

 _Don't kill him, if that's what you mean!_

I wasn't. I was going to bring Beetle, as you first said.

 _Then bring him._

Alright!

 _What did he say?_

He's telling me to… put him under a sleeping spell?

 _Ha! What did I tell you?_

Whatever. But why? That's the most illogical way to solve conflicts like these… ever.

 _Xenia keeps him awake at night. He doesn't get enough sleep. I guess Beetle saw that too._

He's sleeping. On his bed. Everything is still broken though.

 _Glue them together._

I know how to fix it… but…

 _What?_

I don't actually know what to fix.

 _Are you serious?_

It's not my fault! The pieces are everywhere, bloody hell! Oh, wait. I'm dumb.

 _I wish I could raise my eyebrows but I don't have any._

It's fixed. Beetle left. Sep's sleeping. Now what?

 _I don't know. What do you like doing?_

You said you were my other conscience. If you were, you would be able to see, hear, and know everything I'm doing and know my personality. How is it you don't know?

…

Well?

 _You're imagining I don't know who you are._

What kind of stupid answer is that?!

 _You just said it. Stupid._

Who are you?

 _I'm you. I've helped you a lot for a while. How is it you suspect me of anything?_

Oh, I don't know, you keep saying stuff like, "you", and, "I", and, "me". How can I _not_ suspect you of anything?

 _I could ask you the same thing._

What?!

 _You keep addressing me with, "you."_

That does _not_ count!

 _I guess this is what you call fighting with yourself._

No one cares.

 _Are you sure?_

* * *

 _When are we leaving?_

Be patient! We have to get through with this.

 _But the Palace is so boring!_

For someone so crazy about wisdom, you're one for words.

 _Hmph!_

You're so strange. Sometimes you act like an old man and other times you act like a child!

 _We can all change, you know. When you're a child, I'm old. When you're old, I'm a child._

Ha! And when have I been a child?

 _When you're being dumb._

Shut it. Jenna's saying something important.

 _There's nothing important about raising a stuck up little-_

Don't you dare talk about Xenia that way.

 _Who said I was talking about your daughter?_

What?!

 _Hmm?_

Sorry. You've helped me but right now I need to listen to this.

 _Fine._

* * *

 _Can't you do this another time?_

What. The hell.

 _Sorry._

I can't take care of Xenia another time. She's a baby and no one will take care of her if I don't.

 _I said sorry, didn't I?_

I heard.

 _Well._

Hmm?

 _What makes you think no one will take care of her?_

Everyone in the Castle and Port knows I have different color eyes. If they see Xenia does, no one will want her.

 _What about your friends?_

You have me there, but who else?

 _Falyn, Cyne, Nimue, Alarice, Kendra, Piper._

Who else?

 _Marcia._

Fine. And what if they're not there?

 _I will._

You? You're just a "conscience" as you put it.

 _I'm-_

What? _What_ are you?

 _Who. It's, "Who are you?" And for the last time, I am you!_

* * *

Can I say something?

 _What?_

My name is Elara Everleigh. I am Elara Everleigh. I will forever be Elara Everleigh. I will not let anyone take control of me. I will not be someone else!

 _What the hell was that?_

Are you trying to take control of me? Because that's what I want to let you know.

 _Why in the world would I want to take control of you?_

Power?

 _You're prompting me. You don't even know._

So what if I don't know?

 _Please stop. I've been helping you a lot when you're in need of assistance._

You have.

 _So why are you so upset with me?_

I'm sorry.

 _You've been saying that so many times and yet a few moments later you are cross with me again. Swear on Xenia's life you won't treat me like people treat Spit Fyre's droppings._

Xenia's life? What are you saying?

 _What will it be?_

I swear on Xenia's life I won't treat you like people treat Spit Fyre's droppings.

 _Thank you._

You know, Billy Pot treats Spit Fyre's droppings very lovingly. Should I not treat you like that?

 _You know perfectly well what I mean and if you keep this up Xenia will die tonight._

Then you really aren't another one of my consciences, are you?

 _Why do you keep assuming this? Do you even know what an empty threat is?_

I am not as stupid as you think. Of course I know.

 _Then stop acting so foolhardy!_

If you were **Substantial** I would slap you right now but I can't. And since what you're demanding is something I can give to you, I will stay by my word.

 _And since helping you is something I can provide, I too shall stick by my word. So, for the last time, do we have a deal?!_

Yes, we do. This time, we do.


	6. Misty Darkness

**i know that i forgot about a lot of things that happened in the beginning of this so i decided to include those in this chapter. sorry if it's a little confusing. another thing, i actually had to calculate how long Elara was an Apprentice and god was it a** _ **pain.**_ **please review!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xenia had not cried the previous night and I finally got some sleep. I looked out the window and saw a staggering pile of newspapers for everyone in the Wizard Tower. I was confused. Why? There never was a stack outside before. I couldn't remember the last time I read the paper anyway. Intrigued, I snapped my fingers and sent the papers to everyone in the Wizard Tower. I took ours and skimmed the columns when something caught my eye. I stared at it and wanted to scream. In a fit of rage I threw the paper on the floor. Marcia's door recognized me and recognized anger too. It swung open as I ran out.

I arrived at the Manuscriptorium and stormed in. "Where is Beetle?" I demanded one of the scribes. I was lost in my thoughts as I headed in the direction where the scribe was pointing. What did I do to Beetle? For him to write that in the paper? I tried to keep my cool as I headed for the Chief Hermetic Scribe's office. I kicked the door open and my eyes widened in horror. For one, Septimus was in there smirking. And two, the Chief Hermetic Scribe was floating in the air. Septimus's eyes were clouded and Beetle's were completely white. I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead and punched Septimus's face. His neck went completely to the side and I felt myself shrinking back as his neck crackled and went back to its place. "Sep, what the hell? You've, you've, I actually don't even know what you did to Beetle. What's wrong with you?!" I shook him and I thought I saw color coming back to his eyes but it faded away. He made a shoving motion and I flew back. I hit the wall and struggled but I couldn't move away from that spot. He turned to Beetle who looked just about dead. Septimus looked at him with hatred and made a fist. Beetle made a choking sound and I closed my eyes. My friend was being murdered right in front of my eyes. Suddenly I felt a surge of hate flowing through me. The barrier keeping me from moving broke and I searched around the office for something to break. I saw a vase and smashed it on the floor. I picked a shard of glass and threw it at Septimus's arm. His grip on Beetle loosened and I heard Beetle breathing again. Septimus fell and I looked at his blood. "No." It was black and pooling around his arm. A white mist floated out and instead of black, red began flowing out. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Beetle. I waved my hand and he was gently brought down to his chair.

You did this. _How do you mean?_ Let me visualize it for you.

I took the shard of glass and cut my arm. It was… red? _You're losing blood for no reason. Clean yourself up and your friends._ I nodded and stared in disbelief. If the voice was there, it should be black. But it wasn't…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE NEXT DAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scenes from the day before played back in my head. Both Septimus and Beetle were in the Sick Bay and I bandaged my arm. I was trying to piece everything together. The voice wasn't there when Septimus was going all crazy. It came back when the misty thing came out of his wound. And that voice made Septimus write that column in the paper how I kidnapped a child and Marcia was letting me torture it. Why was Septimus trying to kill Beetle though? It made no sense. Sure, you can write bad things about me, but as far as I know, trying to commit homicide was completely unnecessary. It was all so confusing. _Don't think about it too much._ Sorry, I wanted to understand. I did a **MindScreen** and, frowning, I lifted my bandages and picked at the scab on my arm. _What are you doing? You'll get infected._ Sorry. It itches. I pressed my arm and a bead of blood came out. It was red. I groaned in frustration. It didn't make sense! _So you see? I'm not an evil mastermind that wants to manipulate you. I am a-_

Yeah, yeah, just another one of my consciences. I know. But what do you know about this? _Nothing. Same like you._ Then how do you know what other people are thinking? _Sense._ Sense? _I sense them._ Cool.

I was pulled into another world, just like I did at the MidSummer Day party. It was dark. I looked around frantically and before me a spotlight was turned on. A puppet show. A puppet that looked like me, pulled by the strings. Two eyes outlined in white and an evil grin on the face of the person who was pulling the strings. Showing me picking up a knife and stabbing myself. And falling to the ground.

I gasped and looked around. I heard Xenia wailing and ran to her side. She was holding her arm. Black blood was coming out of her and the same misty thing floated out. "No, no, no, no, _no_." I pressed my lips together. "Not you too." As much as I hated to, I had to let her bleed until I saw red blood. My eyes widened as I realized that the black would not stop pouring out. Xenia's face was turning pale. She was a week old and was dying. It was then I wondered how it could be black when the misty thing was gone. I waved my hand over her arm and stopped the bleeding. I cleaned her up and cursed at my mistake. Something kept me from seeing the red. Something wanted her to die. Or was it just that I had a problem with vision? "Elara!" I heard Marcia yell from her study. I laid Xenia down in her crib and went over to Marcia. "There you are. When do you want to make the other Wizard Tower?"

"With all due respect, Marcia, why am I needed here?"

"So you can learn how to be ExtraOrdinary Wizard, of course!"

"Can't I just alternate going to the Palace and then here?" Marcia opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it. She began laughing. "You know, I've been so used to solving problems the complex way that I didn't see that coming!" She sighed. "Yes, I suppose you can do that, haha. So do you want to make a schedule?"

"I don't think we need to. I just need to alternate days." Marcia chuckled again and shook her head. "So do you want to stay here or go to the Palace tomorrow?" I shrugged. "I guess I'll go to the Palace. I've spent six years, four months, and eighteen days here. I think that going to the Palace won't hurt." Marcia nodded. On the way out, I heard her mutter, "You really shouldn't make solutions complex. Just look at the bigger picture and you won't go crazy." I frowned. The people around me were changing in ways that seemed like I was in a horror show, like the plays in the Ramblings. Septimus had turned into a murderer. Marcia was a nervous wreck. Beetle had become all possessed. And I wasn't able to distinguish between what I want to see and what I don't want to see. Xenia had almost died because of that. But what was troubling me most was I accepted the voice's help to get the people's trust back. We weren't doing that. _All in due time._ I am so close to swearing at you. _I helped you_. You f-

 _I helped you in other situations so you could trust me because clearly you don't. I'll help you get trust if you put your trust in me. Do you understand?_ Do not talk to me as if I'm a child. _Don't worry, Miss High and Mighty._ Don't call me that. _Alright._ ...Thank you. _Heh._


End file.
